Electrical-circuit-closing contact.



F. KUHN 61]. A. HAND.

ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CLOSING CONTACT.

APPLICATION FILED EEB. 21. |918.

1,291,983. Patented 1111.211919.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEETcE.

FRANK KUHN;AND JAY A. HAND, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN l ELEcTnIeAL Hmm COMPANY,

mexicain ELECTRICAL-CIRCUIT-CLOSING CONTACT.

Specification ot Letters Patent.

OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

' Application filed February 21, 1918. Serial No. 218,405.

To all 'who-m. z't 'may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK KUHN and JAY A. HAND, both citizens of the United States of America,1both residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have inventedzcertain new and useful Improvements in Electrical-Circuit-Closing Contacts, of which the followingI is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyin drawings.

The invent1on relates to circuitclosing contacts such as are employed in plug-andsocket electrical connectors and similar devices. It is the object of the inventionto obtain a construction in which the resilient pressure of the coperating contacts againsteach other will be maintained, thereby avoiding` arcing or hea-ting of the contacts, tendinp` to corrodeland destroy the same. In the present state of the art it is usual to form the socket contact of a pair of coperating members or sections resiliently pressed toward each other and forced slightly apart by the insertionl of the plug contact member. The resilient pressure is supplied by the shank portions of the socket members and in time, after continued use, the resiliency is lost and the mem-bers become permanently spread apart. This results in imperfect contact and arcing, which by the heat generated tends to draw the temper of the metal and further destroy the resiliency. With the present construction the resilent member is supported at both ends instead o f only at one end and is deflected centrally between its ends when in engagement with the cooperating contact. This prevents the deflection of the member beyond the elastic limit of the metal and at the same time produces a stronger tension so as to maintain good electrical connection.

In the drawings:

'Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the plug and socket members;

.'Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank for forming a socket member of modified construction; Fig 3 is a longitudinal section through the socket member of the construction shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an insulating casing with socket members in engagement therewith.V

In -the construction shown in Fig. 1 A is a" socket member formed from a folded sheet-metal blank and havin the parallel opposite sides B and B. he side B is extended beyond the side -B and has secured thereto the end of afbo'wed spring C which extends longitudinally through the socket. mally in Contact witli the side B of the socket, while the central portion is slightly deflected toward the opposite side B of the socket, as indicated at C. D is a coperating tongue contact member, which When inserted within the socket A will pass between the side B thereof and the spring C. This will force the deflected portion C toward the side B, thereby placing the spring under tension and maintalning the pressure. The amount of deflection of the spring is limited by the side B of the socket and is within the elastic limit of the metal so that the tension -will be maintained at all times.

Fig. 3 shows a modified construction, in which the socket member E is round in cross-section to engage with a corresponding tongue or plug contact F. The resilient member G arranged within this socket is supported at its opposite ends against one side thereof, while at the center it is latcr` ally deflected,as is the case with the construction shown in Fig. 1. The socket E may be formed from a single sheet-metal blank, as shown in Fig. 2, having the portion H of a width to form a segment of the socket, with an end portion I of greater width to complete the circle. The shank portion J of the blank has the wings or flanges K and K and the end flange L. Thus when the blank is struck up the flanges K and K will form parallel sides with outwardly-turned end portions K2 for anchoring engagement with the insulator socket. The portion L is returnbent to embrace the end of the spring G. M is a binding screw passing through the returnbent portlon and the spring to secure these parts/to each other and also forming the binding screw for the electrical connection.

With both constructions as above described, the plug contact when inserted in the socket will bear against the central portion of the spring, the opposite ends of which are held from lateral deflection, and therefore the spring can not be deflected beyond its elastic limit.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In an electricalcontact, the combina- Both ends of this spring are norbracing i tion with a plug or tongue member, of a socket member for receiving said tongue, an inwardly-bowed resilient member forming one side of said socket, a binding screw for connecting the electrical conductor to said socket member, securing one end of -said resilient bowed member, and a flange at the outer end of said socket member forpem the end of said bowed member to holdt e same from lateral deflection.

v2. In an electrical Contact, the combination with a plug or tongue member, of a socket member, a resilient member forming one side of the socket, a binding screw for connecting the electrical conductor to said socket member and for securing one end of said resilient member, and means forholding the opposite end of the resilient member from lateral deflection.

3. In an electrical contact, the combination with a plug or tongue member, of a socket member having a return-bent tongue at one extremity, a centrally bowed resilient member forming one side of said socket, and retained at one end between said return-bent tongue and the body portion of the socket member, and means for holding the opposite end of said resilient member from lateral delection.

4l. In an electrical contact, the combinalsocket member aeeneea tion with a plu or tongue member, of 'a' aving tongues at one extremit thereof projecting `from each side of sai member perpendicular to the body portion thereof, a centrally bowed resilient member forming o ne side of said socket and secured to the extremity of said socket member having said tongues, and means for holding the opposite end of said resilient bowed member from lateral deflection.

5. In an electrical contact, the combination with a plug or tongue member, of a coper'ating socket member having at one extremity a tongue return-bent into proximity to the body portion of said socket member and having at each side of said extremity a tongue perpendicular to said body portion, thel last-mentioned tongue forming an anchorage provision for the socket member, and a centrally bowed resilient member forming one side of the socket and engaged at one end between said return-bent tongue and a body portion of the socket, and means for holding the opposite end of said resilient member from lateral deflection.

1n testimony whereof we alix our signatures.

FRANK KUHN. JAY A. HAND. 

